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BEA introduces 18 book industry startups

book-expo-americaBookExpo America has announced the 18 startups that will participate in Startup Alley, a new event where entrepreneurs have the opportunity to present their ideas to the industry and win prize money.

Participants exhibiting in the Startup Alley will be whittled down to six finalists who will present their ideas to a panel of tech-industry judges on Thursday afternoon. A winner and runner-up will receive cash prizes of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, and “the possibility of receiving further investment from judges,” according to a press release. The winners will also receive access to the Manhattan-based co-working space AlleyNYC and GLG Share, a networking service for startups.

Participating startups offer a range of tools for the book industry, including social media platforms, ebooks, and apps. Beneath the Ink allows authors to embed additional content about characters, places, concepts, and words without leaving the page. New York-based company Kadaxis offers a service called “Slush Filter,” which enabled editors and agent to sift through unsolicited manuscripts. Enskri has created a system that allows purchasers of ebooks to add personalized messages containing video, text, and images. Bookmate offers a subscription model for ebooks for users in emerging markets.

A full list of participants is available here.